eBay fake painting seller pleads guilty

One of the defendants in a case involving the sale of a fake Richard Diebenkorn painting on eBay pleaded guilty on Tuesday to defrauding bidders. The guilty plea was part of an agreement federal prosecutors made with defendant Kenneth Walton, a Sacramento, Calif.

One of the defendants in a case involving the sale of a fake Richard Diebenkorn painting on eBay pleaded guilty on Tuesday to defrauding bidders.

The guilty plea was part of an agreement federal prosecutors made with defendant Kenneth Walton, a Sacramento, Calif., lawyer. Walton agreed to pay restitution to the winners of other fake paintings he sold on eBay, and he agreed to be disbarred from the State Bar of California and will cooperate with the government.

In turn, the government agreed to ask for a lenient sentence for Walton, who was "very satisfied" with the plea agreement, his lawyer, Harold Rosenthal, said. --Troy Wolverton, Special to ZDNet News